I was able to meet the art director of the Madden NFL 10 for the Wii, Tim Spangler, at this year's San Diego Comic Con (2009). Tim has worked on pretty much every EA sports title but this is the first title he worked on from start to finish.
According to Spangler , the game has undergone drastic changes. "The visuals changed across the board, we have an all new interface, all new character models, stadium and game modes."
This is also the first year where the characters will have different body types. In the past all the characters looked about the same but, in reality, players in different positions look different. Spangler explained that they made the different characters bodies look different so that a quarterback would look different from a fullback and such. "Defining body types was the hardest to do graphically but it was something we really wanted for this game."
He also explained that crowds in previous titles the audience would be wearing primary colors but, this year, depending on the team you pick, the audience will be wearing that team's jerseys and have merchandise from the team shops.
"Last year they were only wearing basic colors, we wanted more depth with the audience and a more personalized feel," Spangler said. There will also be a mix of women and men, and they will be visibly clapping and cheering for their teams, or jeering if necessary.
When asked about how, as an artist, you try the top the games each year, he said that he keeps a running list of what they want to improve but couldn’t do this year. "When it comes to graphics, it’s all about depth. Each year you want to expand it just a little and make it better each time around."
When it comes to players who have retired or are on suspension, Spangler explained, "[T]ypically when players are under suspension, such as Michael Vick, or retiring, such as Brett Favre, who can’t make up his mind, usually don’t make the final draft when it comes to players to include in the game. So, though you might still want to play with these characters in your team, you have to hope they hold off suspension and retirement till the game is made."
Because this game is on the Wii, new features are included like the ability to actually throw a pass using the WiiMote, rather then hitting a button to do so. The game also features co-op huddle-up mode where the second player can help out the first buy throwing out a block trip up the receiver with the WiiMote. Plus play with your friends to help you complete seasons and individual games, and bring your team to the Super bowl.
Madden looks great again this year and we can thank Tim Spangler and his art team for a job well done.
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